CNN "Newsroom" - Interview with Andy Beshear

Interview

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[09:30:00]

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Because we did it right, we did it through a secure method. But I think we're at the point in time with all of the different tools that we have that we can do this safely and without fraud.

And, again, it worked.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

BESHEAR: We had more people vote in the primary than all but one primary in our past. Why would we move backwards?

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: This is the way that we're going to vote in the future. It's easy. We'll have more people vote. That's good for democracy.

SCIUTTO: So what do you say then to the secretary of state and other Republicans in Kentucky who don't want to have the same availability of mail-in voting in the general election?

BESHEAR: Well, that's currently under discussion. We've just gotten our first set of recommendations that includes a significant piece of absentee ballots, no excuse absentee ballots. It actually includes a longer period of time for early voting.

So now I'm going to get a formal recommendation from the secretary of state and we're going to sit down and work it out. And I'm still confident that we can come to an agreement that will expand the availability of voting while making sure it's safe in the middle of Covid.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: I want as large of a turnout as possible with everybody being healthy and safe.

SCIUTTO: Yes. You think that's something that everyone could agree on. I want to talk about Covid-19. Yesterday you said that there had been

18 new cases that including children under the age of five. And you said this last month, which caught our attention. Just want to remind our viewers of it and then ask you something.

Have a listen.

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BESHEAR: I don't want to be a state where a doctor has to look at ten young people knowing they have three ventilators and make a decision in possibly who lives and who dies.

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SCIUTTO: The president said this morning that children are basically immune to this. Is that what you're seeing in Kentucky?

BESHEAR: Well, we're seeing a very concerning trend in Kentucky with more of our kids 18 and under, but really more kids five and under coming down with the virus. And while kids seem more resilient, while they have significantly fewer negative outcomes, there are still negative outcomes.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: So the more kids who get the virus times whatever percentage have that negative outcome means we're having kids being put in harm's way. And I don't just come at this as a governor, I come at this as a dad.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Right.

BESHEAR: I have a 10 and an 11-year-old and their safety is so critical. We've got to understand that kids are getting this virus. We don't understand all of the long term impacts of it. We look at mortality, but there are other potential long term impacts and we've got to protect our kids.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Yes.

And to your point, yes, it's a smaller percentage than people who are older. I just wonder as you make a decision about reopening schools, do you believe it's therefore unsafe to begin with in-person instruction?

BESHEAR: When we look at in-person instruction, we've got to look at the health of our children, also of our teachers, our administrators. Every school is almost a living organism where you have people coming from different counties that work there, you have the different vendors, those that stock the cafeterias. You have a lot of different interactions that we've got to think through.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: And so I just want to make sure that we are careful. Do I think that there is a path for in-person instruction? Yes, but you have to get control of the virus first.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: And we are working very hard on that in Kentucky. But I recommended that we push back in-person instruction in the very least a couple weeks to make sure that we could get ahold of where we are right now.

SCIUTTO: On May 20th you told me that every state needs funding to help with budget shortfalls and that states cannot go bankrupt. As you know, lawmakers still debating aid to states, among other things, in the next stimulus bill.

Is Kentucky in danger of possibility going bankrupt without federal help?

BESHEAR: Kentucky is in danger of having the largest budget cuts in our history. We're looking at about a $1.1 billion shortfall. And in context of our budget, that would result in the most significant cuts, not just of my lifetime, but as which can go back in our history.

It is absolutely essential in the next CARES Act funding, whether it's the HEROES Act or the HEALS Act that they do two things. Number one, state and local, because local governments are in the same situation. There must be budget stabilization. If we did it during the Great Recession, why would we not do it now in the middle of an international health pandemic where we are also facing even greater economic uncertainty and difficulty.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: And, second, we have to continue to have that additional unemployment help.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: It is significantly helping our economy here. And those two things are going to be the key in how long this recession lasts.

SCIUTTO: Just for --

BESHEAR: I believe we can bounce back, but let's do the smart thing.

SCIUTTO: OK, great.

And just very quickly, Kentucky Derby, already delayed. Are the horses going to run?

BESHEAR: Well, we know the horses are going to run. But we hope that it will be an experience that can also have some level of fans that are there.

[09:35:02]

We're watching it very closely. Churchill Downs, who hosts the Derby, wants it to be a safe experience. They're watching it very closely too.

And we're doing to see especially after this week exactly where we are. We have a mask mandate in Kentucky. Our folks are masking up. We call it Mask Up KY. They're doing a great job. And so we hope that this is the tool, along with some others, to get us in a place where we can do a lot of what we used to.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BESHEAR: But it requires all of us to put that mask on and to be safe.

SCIUTTO: Let's hope we hear "My Old Kentucky Home" before they race.

Governor Andy Beshear, thanks very much.

BESHEAR: Thank you, Jim.

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